CESI Holds Inaugural Economic Wargame on Capitol Hill

On May 7^th, CESI had the privilege of conducting its inaugural economic wargame on Capitol Hill that focused on how the U.S.—alongside its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific—must work together in the economic arena to better compete against China.

Through a series of simulations, players developed an economic strategy and policy solutions to safeguard their economic priorities, coordinate economic action to deter CCP aggression, and deploy “offensive” economic tactics when Beijing takes military action against Taiwan.

Key findings from the wargame included:

• American leadership in the economic arena will be vital in the phases of de-risking from, deterring, and defending against China.
• U.S. support and market access will be essential elements to any multi-lateral effort to strategically decouple from China.
• Global events will have a substantial impact on the ability for the U.S. to generate allied support for its efforts to decouple, deter, and impose costs on China.
• Economic strategies must be developed now if the U.S. and its allies plan to deploy an economic “toolkit” during steady state competition and in a conflict scenario.